


Dare Day

by JesusOtakuFreak



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-03 20:50:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1756717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesusOtakuFreak/pseuds/JesusOtakuFreak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akiyama Yatsumi is dared by her friends to confess her nonexistent feelings for Marui Bunta. Yatsumi does it because she's the Dare Queen. But will those nonexistent feelings soon turn into real ones? [OC x Marui] OC-centric. Good chance characters might be OOC. You've been warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Dare Day!

**Disclaimer: Do not own PoT or its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter One: Happy Dare Day!**

"Good morning!" I greeted my mother and younger sister when I entered the kitchen.

"Morning, dear," Mom returned, pouring for herself some hot coffee.

Mom was thirty three years old, but one would assume she was much older due to her pale and haggard appearance. Twenty years as a registered nurse and caring for two kids as a single parent would do that to a person. Mom's dark brown hair stopped at her shoulders, framing her round, pale face almost perfectly. Her tired, dark brown eyes warmed as the caffeine worked its way through her body and she took another sip.

My sister and I were spitting versions of Mom, sporting the same dark brown hair and eyes. Though I decided to cut my hair so that it stopped just below my chin whereas Yaeko's stopped at her shoulders. We had the same pale complexion and also appeared older than our age. Yaeko looked like she was a first year in middle school instead of fifth grade, and I looked like I was a first year in high school instead of a second year in middle school. I would get teased a lot by other students for it, but I got used to it.

I sat at the island table where my eleven year-old sister, Yaeko, sat, eating her breakfast. She sipped her orange juice, grinning happily at me.

"Sis, are you excited?" she asked, her eyes gleaming brightly.

"Excited?" Mom repeated, leaning against the counter and taking another tentative sip of her hot drink.

"Yeah, Mom, it's _that_ day," Yaeko explained, wiggling her eyebrows.

Mom groaned, setting the cup on the counter and fixing me with a stern gaze. "You guys are _still_ doing that?"

"Mom, you say this every year," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, because I figured you would stop each year!" Mom countered.

"I told you, when it gets old, we'll stop," I assured.

"What's the problem, Mom?" Yaeko asked, tilting her head and gazing curiously at her mother. "It's not like they're hurting anyone. They're just having fun." Before Mom could reply, Yaeko turned to me, her expression pleading. "Can I play this time, sis? Please? Please," she begged, tugging on the sleeve of my uniform.

I sighed, gently pulling away from her. "Fine, fine. But, if you're going to play, then you must play by the rules. No exceptions."

"Okay!" Yaeko replied giddily at the same time Mom protested.

"Rule number one: No repeat dares. For instance, if I dared you to lick the floor, you can't dare me to do the same. Rule number two: Dare cannot harm daree, darer, people or animals. And rule number three, the most important rule of all," I said, smiling, "have fun."

"I can totally follow those rules!" Yaeko said.

"Cool. But do you think you can handle the consequences?"

Yaeko frowned, uncertainty flashing in her eyes. "Consequences…?"

"Yeah. It is a game, after all. Games aren't nearly as fun without consequences involved," I said, smirking.

"Yatsumi," Mom started in a warning tone.

"What? The consequences aren't _bad_ , per se. All it is is if you fail to complete a dare, you have to do one of two options: treat those playing the game, for a week, to any place they so desire or be a slave for two weeks. It's up to you," I explained.

"Those are the consequences?" Yaeko asked, now wondering whether she should play or not.

"Yup. So, what's it going to be?" I asked.

"Um… I think I'll pass," Yaeko decided, sighing.

"Oh? But why? You seemed so excited to play?" I wondered, feigning surprise. Yaeko lightly scowled, rolling her eyes and mumbling. "What was that?" I asked, cupping my ear and leaning closer to Yaeko.

"Because you're the Dare Queen," Yaeko spoke loudly, lightly shoving me away.

I grinned. "And don't forget it, sweetie."

Yup, so today was _that_ day. What day was that, you ask? Why, it was Dare Day! Ah, yes, Dare Day, one of my favorite holidays. Okay, so it wasn't a holiday. In fact, the only people who knew about it were my mom, sister and two best friends. But one of my goals, before I died, was to make Dare Day a nationally known event, and I will do it. But enough of that, let me explain exactly what Dare Day was all about it. Just as its name implied, it was a day dedicated to daring friends in doing stupid, embarrassing and just plain fun things. My two best friends and I started this tradition when we were in third grade because we were bored. Then we decided to make it an actual tradition. By fifth grade, one of my best friends, Himura Asumi, decided it would be a lot more interesting if we added consequences when someone refused to do a dare. Even before the consequences were added, I never turned down a dare, and still to this day, I haven't turned down a single dare, thus earning me the title, Dare Queen.

"Alright, I'm leaving. Bye, Mom!" I called, heading out the door and closing it behind me. Mom didn't approve of Dare Day, but it wasn't like we were doing anything dangerous. I ran to the bus stop where I saw my two best friends and other students, waiting. "Morning," I greeted, waving and running up to them.

"Good morning, Yatsumi," Anna Lively, returned smiling warmly.

Anna was born in America and lived there with her Japanese parents until they moved to Japan when she was five. She had a long, soft brown hair that was tied in a single braid with parts of her hair falling over her light skinned face, slightly covering her light brown eyes. She wore large, round glasses that took up more than half of her petite face and looked pretty awkward on her.

"So, Dare Queen, ready to be dethroned?" Himura Asumi asked, smirking knowingly, her green eyes flashing mischievously.

"Give me the best you got, Asumi," I challenged.

Himura Asumi, my best friend since kindergarten. We met through our parents where her and my mother were close friends in their childhood years. Asumi had chin-length silky black hair, which emphasized her creamy white skin and wide viridian eyes. Asumi held up a fist, gazing expectantly at Anna and I. Anna and I joined our fists with hers and stared at each other.

"Ready?" Asumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

I could tell by the wicked gleam in her eye that the girl was going to give it her all to beat me.

"Always," I replied coolly.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" we shouted at the same time.

"I win!" Anna exclaimed happily, causing Asumi to roll her eyes. "Okay, Yatsumi, I dare you to scream, 'I'm sexy, and I know it' at the top of your lungs," Anna challenged.

Without even hesitating, I accepted the dare. _"I'm sexy, and I know it, and I'm not afraid to let you know it!"_ I hollered, twirling and hopping.

The students at the bus stop, snickered and shook their heads, whispering to themselves.

"Really, Anna?" Asumi said, frowning in disapproval as Anna sighed. "You call that a dare?"

"Oh, don't be so hard on her, Asumi," I said, causing Asumi to scowl at me. "You know, when you scowl like that, I immediately think of a snake." I smiled, my eyes gleaming mischievously. "Asumi, I dare you to hiss at every person who looks your way. And I mean _every_ person."

"Hmph, I'm disappointed in you, Yatsumi. That dare is even weaker than Anna's. _Ssss,_ " she hissed at Anna and me. The bus arrived, and we got on. The driver smiled kindly at us, and I glanced behind me where Asumi stood, her face turning slightly pink. _"Ssss,"_ she quietly hissed at the man, startling him before hurrying to sit next to a laughing Anna.

I giggled, earning a hard glare from her. "What's wrong, Asumi? I thought my dare was pretty weak."

"It was," Asumi snapped. She smirked and leaned across Anna, whispering, "I dare you to stand up, walk in the middle of the bus, dig real deep into your nose and eat. Your. Booger."

Anna gasped sharply, pushing Asumi away and glaring at her. "Asumi, that is so _gross_! What is wrong with—"

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?!" someone demanded.

Anna and Asumi looked in the direction of the cry and saw me standing in the middle of the bus, sucking on my pointer finger. Anna's mouth dropped open, her brown eyes widening and her face taking on a tinge of green.

"That's dirty!" a woman yelled, pure disgust evident on her face.

"What? I had a light breakfast," I replied, gazing at the disgusted passengers until my gaze finally landed on a nauseous-looking Anna and a fuming Asumi. I shrugged, plopping back down beside Anna. "Not bad, Asumi. But I know you can do better."

"Oh, Dare Day has just begun, sweetheart. You have absolutely _no_ idea what I have planned," Asumi vowed, grinning wickedly.

* * *

"How embarrassing," Anna murmured, her light face a darker tone as she stepped off the bus.

"As embarrassing as eating a booger in public?" I asked, walking alongside her.

"No, but now people are staring at me like I'm some freak," Anna moaned, keeping her gaze down as the three of us made our way toward the school.

I had dared Anna to take out her compact mirror, declare loudly how she wished she was someone else so she could date herself and then make out with the mirror for a good thirty seconds.

"At least it's not disgust," I said, when two students shot repulsed looks my way as they passed by us.

"You could have easily refused the dare," Asumi said to me.

"And give up my title as Dare Queen so easily? I think not," I huffed. "Anyways, Anna, it's now your turn," I told her, the three of us entering the school building.

"Okay, I got a good one this time," Anna said excitedly. "Yatsumi, I dare you to say honey bunny at the end of each sentence."

"Okay, honey bunny-chan!" I said sweetly.

"Anna, again with the lame dares?" Asumi scolded. "How are we to dethrone the Dare Queen with your constantly lame dares?"

"Hey, I'm just having fun," Anna protested, pouting.

"Yeah, it's all fun, honey bunny-chan," I said, nudging Asumi's side. "By the way, Anna, I dare you to speak in a low voice for the rest of the day, honey bunny."

"Eh?" Anna gaped. "But I can't—!"

"Well, that was quick," Asumi remarked.

"Yeah, I would even say that set a whole new record, honey bunny," I added, nodding and gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Anna was always the first one to quit, leaving Asumi and I to spar with each other.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Anna quickly said, clearing her throat. "I mean," she spoke, her voice ridiculously low that it earned strange stares from passing students, "I'll do it. You guys won't win this time."

"Alright, Anna, glad to hear it," Asumi cheered, patting her friend on the back.

We entered the classroom, and I went for my seat. From my peripheral vision, I saw Anna whisper something in Asumi's ear, and Asumi's eyes widened in surprise. She leaned away from Anna, regarding her with an impressed look.

"Well, I see you have it in you after all, Anna," Asumi remarked, sitting at her desk.

Anna giggled, covering her mouth. "I have my moments," she replied in the same deep tone.

 _Those guys, just what are they up to?_ I wondered, feeling slightly anxious.

Class started, and the teacher began roll call. Once she finished, she began the lecture. Five minutes in, Asumi raised her hand, asking if she could use the bathroom. The teacher allowed her, and she left the room. I looked over at Anna, who was busy taking notes. Shaking off my suspicions, I refocused my attention on the teacher. Fifteen minutes later, Asumi entered the classroom and stood by the doorway.

She took a deep breath and, in the loudest voice possible, said, _"My business is done!"_ And with that, she returned to her seat, ignoring the gawking faces of our classmates, mine included.

"Himura-san, that was uncalled for," the teacher stated, looking ticked.

The classroom was filled with whispers, snickers and gaping faces, some still not believing the girl did what she did.

"Yes, I know, sensei. I apologize," Asumi said, bowing.

 _Hmm…._ I said, smirking and tapping my chin lightly as I gazed at Asumi's clearly embarrassed face. _"Ssss…."_ I quietly hissed, earning questioning gazes my way, but I was studying Asumi's already red face, growing even redder when she remembered my dare.

" _Ssss…."_ Asumi hissed, keeping her gaze down.

"Himura-san, what on earth has gotten into you?!" the teacher demanded as students went crazy.

"What was that?"

"She just hissed at the teacher!"

"Asumi the Snake."

"So weird. What's up with her?"

I stifled my laugh as Asumi continued hissing since, you know, people were staring in her direction.

"Himura-san, I will be seeing you after class," the teacher said, scowling. "Alright, settle down before I assign extra homework."

Asumi sat down, her embarrassment giving way to fury. I winced, making sure to keep my gaze ahead and my face neutral. This wasn't the first time one of us got in trouble with the teacher because of our dares, so I didn't feel bad at all. Especially since I was the one who mostly got in trouble. The rest of class went by uneventfully, and then it was lunch time.

"Anna, why couldn't you have given such a dare to Yatsumi?" Asumi asked, jabbing her thumb my way.

"Because Yatsumi definitely would have done it. In fact, she would have added her own twist, I was sure of it," Anna replied deeply.

She wasn't wrong. "Ugh, you're not wrong," Asumi agreed, sighing. "Well, whatever. Hey, Yatsumi, I dare you to switch lunches with me," Asumi said, holding up her bag lunch.

I stuck my tongue out in disappointment. "Ugh, Asumi, you do this every time, honey bunny," I said, grudgingly trading her bag lunch for my bento.

"Yes, I know. Isn't the no repeat dares rule awesome? Look, I can't help it if your mother is a better cook than mine."

"So, cook your own meal, honey bunny?"

"You're funny. Ah, yes, rice balls. I swear, your mother makes the best," Asumi complimented, taking a bite. The three of us ate our lunches, chatting and even brainstorming on dares. "I meant what I said, Yatsumi. I am dethroning you this year."

"Hah, do your worst honey bunny-chan," I challenged.

"Oh, don't worry, I will. I've just been playing with you so far, but now," Asumi raised her eyebrows up and down, a mischievous grin gracing her features. "Now, it's time to pull out all the stops."

"You said that last year, too, and guess what, I'm _still_ the Queen," I declared, returning to my seat when the bell rang, signaling lunch was over. I smiled gracefully at them and added, "Honey bunny-chan."

School finally ended, and Anna and I waited for Asumi while she was getting chewed out by the teacher. After about twenty minutes, Asumi stepped out of the classroom, looking drained.

"I am so getting you back, Anna," Asumi vowed, scowling as she marched down the hall.

"You did say that I always came up with weak dares," Anna said in that same deep tone.

"Yes, and the one time you come up with a decent one, you use it on _me_."

"Oh, dear, lighten up, honey bunny-chan," I said. "Anywho, it's your turn to dare. So, what's it going to be, honey bunny-chan?"

Asumi smirked knowingly. "Oh, you'll find out."


	2. Dare Queen

**Disclaimer: Do not own PoT or its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Dare Queen**

"I cannot believe I am doing this," I muttered, trudging toward the tennis courts.

I peered behind me to find my two best friends hiding behind some bushes and throwing me thumbs-up. I turned back around, seeing the members of Rikkaidai's boys' tennis team doing their warm ups. I spotted a certain redhead and stopped in my tracks. There was no way I could do this. How could I do this?

_Well, you had a good run,_ I thought, mentally saying goodbye to my Dare Queen title. _That Asumi actually succeeded,_ I thought, shaking my head.

Twenty minutes earlier….

"You dare me to do what, honey bunny?" I asked, not sure if I heard right.

Asumi grinned back at me, her hands crossed as she gazed triumphantly at me. "You heard me. I dare you to confess your feelings to Marui Bunta."

I frowned. "But… I don't have feelings for the guy, honey bunny."

"Oh? What's this? Akiyama Yatsumi AKA Dare Queen is actually hesitating to do a dare? Did you hear that, Anna? The Dare Queen has finally fallen!" Asumi proclaimed giddily.

"No, no, I didn't say that. I can do it. I'm just… stating a fact, is all, honey bunny," I explained.

"Keep your facts. I don't care for them," Asumi dismissed. She regarded me with a wicked grin. "But, my, how interesting. For once, you're not jumping on a dare. Could it be that you actually have _feelings_ for a certain third year?"

"No," I snapped immediately then grudgingly added, "honey bunny,"

"Then, I don't see why you're having such difficulty with this. Just tell the guy you've been in love with him ever since you laid eyes on him."

"It's not that simple, Asumi," I replied, gritting my teeth. "Besides, I thought one of the rules is a dare cannot be harmful to the person accepting the dare and others, honey bunny."

"How is confessing harming anyone?"

"It's just… it's mean, I think, honey bunny," I muttered.

"All I'm hearing is excuses. Anna, what do you think? Do you think this dare is harmful?" Asumi asked, turning to the girl. Anna shook her head no, and Asumi smiled, looking back at me. "Are you afraid of getting rejected? Is that what this is?" she asked, smiling slyly.

"It's not that at all! It's just, for me to confess my so called feelings…!"

"Then, the Dare Queen has been dethroned!" Asumi declared, pumping her fists.

"Grr, fine! I'll do it right now, honey bunny!" I said, stomping towards the tennis courts.

"You go do that!" Asumi called after me. "And don't forget the 'honey bunny'! Remember the 'honey bunny'!"

Present….

I shook my head and clenched my fists in determination. _What am I doing? I'm the friggin'_ Dare Queen, _dang it! There's no way I'm going to let such a petty dare beat me. There's no way I'll give Asumi the satisfaction,_ I thought with determination.

"Oi!" a sharp voice called, shocking me out of my thoughts.

"H-huh?!" I yelped, looking to see who shouted. My heart dropped when I saw Sanada Genichiro, the vice captain of the tennis team, glaring at me. "O-oh, I—"

"Leave," Sanada snapped.

"B-but—"

"I do not need to hear your reasons. We're having practice, and you're a distraction. So, leave," Sanada interrupted, his harsh gaze not wavering.

"I-I'm sorry!" I said, bowing deeply and turning around, booking for the exit. _Whoa, that guy is as scary as everyone says!_ I thought. _But I can't leave like this!_

I continued towards the exit to give off the appearance that I was leaving, when I made a sharp turn, running to where Marui Bunta was rallying with Jackal Kuwahara.

"Hey!" I heard Sanada's sharp yell, but I ignored it, running onto the tennis court and interrupting Jackal's and Marui's game.

"Ah, crap!" Jackal shouted, unable to stop himself from hitting the ball.

Quickly, I lifted my backpack up to my face, and heard the distinct _WHACK_ of the tennis ball smacking into my bag. Marui looked at me with a questioning and shocked expression with a medium-sized green bubble, as did the other members as they stopped what they were doing and looked my way.

"Marui-sama, I'm here to confess my undying love for you! I've loved you ever since I saw you and could no longer hold in my feelings. Take this as proof of my love, honey bunny-sama!" I exclaimed, pulling out a small bag of cookies from my backpack and launching it at Marui, who easily caught it.

"Hey!" Sanada yelled, approaching me, his expression furious.

"I'm sorry, honey bunny-senpai!" I cried, running around the courts to avoid the furious third year. "I'm so very sorry everyone for ruining practice! Please excuse me, honey bunny!" I apologized repeatedly, successfully leaving the courts and tearing past the bushes my friends were hiding in and making a beeline to the school's exit.

That was the most humiliating thing I had ever done! I stopped running when I saw I was a good distance from the school and caught my breath.

"Yatsumi!" Asumi called, she and Anna running toward me. She leapt toward me, engulfing me in a hug. "Oh, my gosh! I can't believe you actually did it!" she crowed, pulling away and grinning happily at me. "When Sanada yelled at you, I thought for sure you weren't gonna do it, but you did! And, true to form, you put your own little twist into the dare." Asumi nudged me in the side. "What was it that you gave him?"

"Double chocolate cookies," I answered, sighing. "I was so looking forward to eating them, too. I spent all last night working on them, honey bunny."

"Yatsumi, you are truly the Dare Queen," Anna conceded. "I wouldn't have done the dare. You couldn't pay me enough. Did you see Sanada-senpai? He looked _pissed_."

I flinched, my heart dropping every time I imagined Sanada's furious expression. I glared at Asumi, who was now smiling nervously.

"What?" she asked.

I smirked, unzipping my backpack and pulling out a water bottle filled with murky fluid. "My turn. I dare you to drink this, honey bunny-chan," I challenged, shoving it to Asumi's face.

"I… I can't drink that!" Asumi protested. "The rules—"

"Don't worry. Everything in it is edible. The worst that will happen is you'll have a bad taste in your mouth for a few hours, honey bunny-chan," I assured, smirking, my brown eyes gleaming evilly.

"And how do I know that for sure?!"

"Because I've tried it. In fact, I'll do it again, honey bunny." I uncapped the bottle and downed it with huge gulps. I let out a satisfied, 'Ah,' and grinned at Anna's and Asumi's gawking faces. "Now, let's try this again," I said, pulling out another water bottle with the same stuff. "Drink it, honey bunny-chan."

"No. No way. I give," Asumi refused, shaking her head vehemently.

I pulled the bottle back to myself, a wicked grin gracing her features. "You give? Then, that means…."

"Yes, yes, you win. _Again,_ " Asumi confirmed, scowling. "Besides, after that whole confession dare, I believe you could pretty much do anything at this point."

"Wait, I'm still in the game! Yatsumi, I dare you to drink _both_ those drinks," Anna dared.

I shrugged, finishing the first drink and polishing off the second one. "Now, I dare you to squirt these on your head, run onto the tennis courts and shout, 'Eat me! Eat me!' honey bunny," I said, pulling out several packets of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.

Anna gaped at the packets, shaking her head and stepping back. "N-no, I think I'll pass, too."

"How does this happen where you come out on top _again_?" Asumi asked, rolling her eyes.

I smirked, putting the packets back in the bag. "I am the Dare Queen, after all, honey bunny-chan."


	3. Class Trip

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or its characters**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Class Trip**

"All you have to do is avoid the courts, and you'll be fine," Asumi assured. "It won't be that hard to avoid Sanada-senpai."

"It's not Sanada-senpai I'm worried about," I replied, sighing.

Asumi, Anna and I entered the school's compound and made our way towards the building. All throughout the ride to school, I was fretting about yesterday's actions and the inevitable consequences.

"Do you plan on telling Marui-senpai the truth?" Anna asked.

I quickly shook my head several times. "No. No way. I don't ever want to see that guy again!"

Asumi snickered, earning a withering glare from me. "What?" she asked innocently. "You can't possibly blame me for your actions. After all, you had a choice. You could have easily rejected the dare."

Before I could give a scathing retort, someone called out to me. "Hey, you!"

"Huh?" I turned around to see Azuma Raina, a fellow classmate, with three other girls I did not recognize.

Raina was a tall, slender girl with jet black shoulder length hair tied back in a tight, flowing ponytail. She had smooth pale skin, piercing chocolate brown eyes, and thin lips that forever seemed frozen in a scowl. Raina was one of the prettiest and popular girls in Rikkai, so it struck me as odd that she was speaking to me.

"What does Ice Queen want with you?" Asumi muttered to me.

'Ice Queen' was Asumi's moniker for Raina because of her cold demeanor. Like I said, the girl always seemed to wear a scowl. I shrugged, watching with growing apprehension as Raina approached me with her crew. She stopped a few inches away from me, her brown eyes narrowed and her thin lips forming that all familiar scowl.

"You're Akiyama Yatsumi, right? The girl who disrupted the boys' tennis practice just so she could confess her undying love to Marui-senpai?" Raina asked.

My face burned bright red while Asumi snorted, and Anna smiled faintly. I shifted my feet uncomfortably, averting my gaze sideways and stuttering my response.

"E-erm, actually—"

"Listen, you, what you did was disrespectful and inappropriate!" Raina said, seething. She jabbed a finger at my chest, glaring down at me with an ugly scowl twisting her pretty features. "Stay away from Marui-senpai; better yet, stay away from the boys' tennis team, period."

I was so caught off guard by the girl's threatening tone and expression, my brain froze momentarily, unable to formulate even a simple response. Thankfully, Asumi intervened, stepping forward and squeezing in between Raina and I. She brushed Raina's hand away from my chest and gave her a hard look.

"Or what?" Asumi challenged. "Or you'll fan girl scream at her to death? Is Marui your boyfriend? How can you tell other girls to back off if you're nothing more than a fan?"

Raina and her crew glared coldly at Asumi, not saying a word. If looks could kill… in fact, I think they were sort of counting on doing that. I noticed how we were quickly attracting a crowd and wished to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

"Just stay away from him," Raina commanded lowly, shifting her cold gaze on me.

I resisted the urge to shiver, but I couldn't help it. My legs were feeling slightly wobbly as Raina marched past me, not throwing another glance my way. Her friends, however, glowered at me with one even shoving me to the side with her shoulder when she walked past. Asumi stepped toward the girl, but Anna quickly grabbed her arm, shaking her head and trying to calm Asumi down. The gathered crowd slowly dispersed, returning to their previous business. Some students had disappointed expressions. They were clearly hoping for something exciting to happen. As I watched after Raina's retreating form, I couldn't help but call after her.

"You don't have to worry about that! I have officially made that my life's goal!"

Asumi nudged me, hard, in the ribs and glared at me. "She doesn't need to know that! Let her think you have feelings for the guy."

"Why would I possibly do that?" I asked. "I'm not trying to gain any enemies."

"Sometimes, you will meet people who thrive on causing trouble." Asumi jerked her thumb to where Raina had disappeared inside the school. "She's definitely one of them. You may not mean to cause any harm, but in her eyes, she has already marked you as a rival."

I scowled at Asumi, crossing my arms. "This is all your fault!" I snapped.

"How is it my fault?! You didn't have to accept the dare, you know!" Asumi snapped back.

"Ugh! I knew my actions would have consequences, but I wasn't expecting this!"

"Speaking of consequences, Sanada-senpai at twelve o' clock!" Anna squealed, pointing at the vice-captain who had just entered the school's compound.

"Oh, shoot! See ya!" I cried, bolting for the building before any of my friends could react.

* * *

"Okay, so as you very well know, our annual class trip is next week," the teacher reported.

"Yay!"

"Yes, yes, it's about time!"

The class buzzed excitedly with some students high-fiving each other and others speaking on theirs plans during free time.

"Okay, okay settle down because I have some news," the teacher spoke. "The third and second years will join together on this year's trip."

The enthusiastic noise of the students drowned out the rest of the teacher's announcement.

"Really? Are we really going with the third years?"

"Do you know what this means? I'll be going on the same trip as Yukimura-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah! Maybe I could use this chance to confess to Niou-kun!"

"That's right! Class trips are the best chance for confession!"

All around me, students spoke in hushed, animated voices. I couldn't help but snicker and shake my head. I understood what the girls were saying when they said confessing on class trips were opportunistic and romantic, but it was also pretty dumb. Say you confessed to your crush, and he rejected you? How could you possibly enjoy your trip with _that_ hanging over your head? Also, one really should use class trips as a way to unwind and have fun. You can focus on boys and all that romance stuff afterwards. But, maybe that was just my way of thinking. I glanced over at my friends. Anna was doodling in her notebook, appearing oblivious to her surroundings while Asumi wore a displeased expression. I smiled faintly, believing she was thinking the same thing.

When the teacher got the class back under control, he told us we would be traveling to Osaka and Kobe. The trip would take the whole week, so we should pack accordingly. When the teacher finished, he dismissed us for lunch and left the room.

"Are you two as excited for this trip as I am?" Anna asked, her brown eyes shining.

"Not really," Asumi shrugged, yawning. "I go to Osaka every year with my folks."

"Yeah, but now you're going with friends," Anna pointed out, softly jabbing at Asumi's cheek.

"Not to mention annoying fan girls," Asumi muttered, swatting Anna's hand away.

"I don't know, Asumi, this really does seem like it could be fun. Lighten up, will you?" I said, lightly karate chopping her head.

"Leave me be!" Asumi growled, waving me away and glaring at the both of us. Her scowl melted into a knowing smirk as she gazed at me.

"Hey, what's with that look?" I questioned, suspicious.

"So, you think this trip will be fun, eh?" Asumi asked, that creepy smirk growing steadily creepier with each passing second.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, it wouldn't happen to be because of a certain redhead, would it?" Asumi hinted, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Y-yeah right! You know I don't have any feelings for Marui-senpai!" I snapped, my face heating up.

"So you say, but then why did you give Marui-senpai your double chocolate cookies? They are your favorite, after all."

"I only did that because… because…!"

I stammered my response while Asumi cracked up laughing. Anna tried stifling her amusement, but was failing miserably.

"Look, Anna, she's so flustered! It must be true!" Asumi cried gleefully.

"I'm only flustered because I'm embarrassed of what I did," I hissed.

"Still, it shouldn't have you blushing and stumbling your words," Asumi spoke between laughs.

"That's exactly what embarrassment does, Asumi!" I retorted, crossing my arms.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Anna said once she collected herself. She smiled apologetically at me. "She's only joking around, Yatsumi."

"Yeah, yeah, just chill. I'm playing with you," Asumi said, smiling broadly.

I huffed. "Well, quit it. I really do regret what I did."

Asumi shrugged. "Meh, look on the bright side."

"What bright side?" I asked, frowning.

"Oh, _I_ don't know. That's why I said _look_ for it," Asumi replied. "Ow!" she yelped when I sharply pinched her in the arm. "Yeah, okay, I deserved that," she muttered, rubbing the sore spot.


	4. Worst Luck

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or its characters**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Worst Luck**

The day of the trip arrived, and excitement and hope filled the air. Excitement because of the fact we won't be in school for an entire week; and hope because a majority of the female students were praying desperately to be put in the same group as one of the tennis regulars.

"This is going to be awesome!" Anna squealed, rushing up to me and wearing a bright yellow sun hat.

"I like your hat, Anna," I remarked, flicking at the brim.

"Thanks. I got it yesterday. After all, the weather man says it's going to be eighty degrees," Anna said, tilting the hat down a little.

I sighed. "Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about that."

"Hey," Asumi greeted, sauntering up to us.

"Hey, are you up for this trip?" I asked.

"I guess," Asumi said, sighing.

"I really hope we end up in a group together," Anna said.

"Fat chance that'll happen," Asumi said. "Do you not see all these students? The chance of all three of us ending up in the same group is so slim, it's practically nonexistent."

"Way to think positive, Asumi," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Before Asumi could reply, a voice cut through the noise. "Listen up!" The voice came through a megaphone, and my friends and I looked to the voice to see the principal. "We will now start splitting into groups. Please pay attention for your name as the teacher calls it. Thank you."

As students were called, Asumi nudged me. I looked over at her, and she tipped her head to the right. I trailed my gaze to where she was pointing and stiffened when I saw Marui surrounded by girls. They were giggling and presenting their sweets to him, and Marui was happily accepting the gifts. I turned on Asumi, who was snickering.

"I'd get your man if I were you," she snickered.

"Knock it off, Asumi. Just how long will you be joking about this?!" I growled.

"Until it gets old," Asumi replied simply.

"It has gotten old!"

"You should have just rejected the dare. The fact that you didn't must mean you have some hidden feelings…?"

"No, you moron, I do not!"

"Takes a moron to know one."

"What are you, twelve now?"

"Says the person who called me a name!"

"And, yet, I don't hear you denying being immature!"

"You—"

"Alright, enough, enough!" Anna interrupted, stepping between us. She stared the two of us down with a stern expression. "You're calling attention to yourselves. Can we not do this now?"

"She started it!" I accused, pointing at Asumi.

"Oh, and _I'm_ the immature one?" Asumi said, sneering.

"Yes, you are," I replied, sneering back.

"No, that's enough," Anna warned before Asumi could reply. "Keep this up and you'll miss hearing your names."

"Imai Aki, Horie Nao, Ito Sachio, Kida Sai, Sanada Genichiro and Himura Asumi," a female teacher announced. Asumi blinked, whirling toward the teacher, who held up a clipboard and spoke into the megaphone. "My group over here!"

"Wait, I'm… I'm with…!" Asumi squeaked, watching as her group gathered. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, placing a hand to my chest. Nice. Now, I didn't have to worry about being in the same group as Sanada. That would have been so painfully awkward. "This is just great," Asumi muttered. "No offense to Sanada, but he's terrifying!"

"Ha! Serves you right," I gloated, smirking. Asumi scowled, marching past me toward her group. I stuck my tongue after her and giggled. Anna sighed, shaking her head and giving me a disapproving look. "What? She started it first," I said.

"Naito Ginko, Lively Anna, Isozaki Utako, Kinjo Sadako, Uemura Masaki, and Kojima Haru. Over here, please," the teacher announced.

Anna pouted. "It seems Asumi was right," she sighed and smiled sadly at me.

"Geez, Anna, you act as if we're all going separate ways never to see each other again. We will be on the same bus. Hopefully, we can sit near each other."

Anna perked up at this. "Oh, yeah, that's true! Heh, I forgot," she admitted sheepishly. "Well, I'm off then. See you on the bus!" she called, hurrying to her group.

Several more groups were called, and it seemed forever for them to call my name. A tall, slender man, looking in his early thirties, grabbed the megaphone and stared down at his clipboard.

"Niou Masaharu, Mazaki Kuniko, Kirihara Akaya, Azuma Raina, Marui Bunta and Akiyama Yatsumi," the teacher said.

_Oh, come the heck on!_ I mentally groaned.

Of all the people in my group, it had to be my newfound rival and the guy I had confessed my so-called feelings to. Urgh. Worst. Luck. Ever. I could easily imagine Asumi's sneering face and teasing tone.

" _Well, lookie here, you ended up in a group with Marui-senpai? It must be fate!"_

"Not cool, so not cool," I mumbled, shaking my head.

"No fair! That group has Niou-sama _and_ Marui-sama!"

"Yeah, and the head cheerleader, Raina-san, too…."

"That group has some pretty impressive people in it."

Students were muttering and commenting amongst themselves, clearly not happy with their own groups.

_Ugh, that's right, Raina_ is _the head cheerleader. Geez, if I could I would definitely trade groups in a heartbeat,_ I thought, sighing dejectedly.

"Hey, Yatsumi," a familiar voice spoke. I stifled a groan, immediately recognizing the voice and turning around to see Raina and her friends, smirking at me. "It seems we're in the same group. Let's get along," she said sweetly.

"Right, yeah," I said, smiling weakly.

"Well? Let's go meet up with the others," Raina said. I stared at her weirdly, really not liking that sweet smile on her face. Maybe it was because I was so used to her usual scowl or because I knew her smile was about as real as my feelings for Marui. "If you don't move, you'll get left behind," Raina said, moving to where the others were meeting.

The trip hadn't even started yet, and I was already wishing it was over.


	5. Unpleasant

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or its characters**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Unpleasant**

"Niou Masaharu," Minami called.

"Here," Niou answered in a bored tone.

"Kirihara Akaya."

"Right here!" Kirihara spoke enthusiastically.

The teacher was taking role when I approached the group. I crept behind Mazaki Kuniko, maintaining an adequate distance so she wouldn't notice me while making sure I was hidden behind the girl's tall frame. I peered around Kuniko's body to see Raina speaking animatedly with Marui. She giggled softly, placing a hand on Marui's shoulder and leaning in slightly as she giggled. Marui didn't seem a bit bothered by this, appearing to enjoy the attention. I rolled my eyes, trying my best not to scoff in distaste.

"Marui Bunta."

"Here," he said, lifting a hand lazily.

"Azuma Raina."

"Right here, sensei!" Raina replied happily. "I look forward to having a great time with you all on this trip!"

 _Ugggh, such a faker,_ I thought, scowling at Raina's ecstatic expression.

Kuniko sighed softly, her body stiffening slightly as she crossed her arms. Even though I couldn't see her face, I could tell by her body language that Kuniko shared the same sentiment. I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps, I may have found someone I could bond with in this group after all.

"Mazaki Kuniko."

"Here, here," Kuniko answered softly.

I cringed, knowing the next name called would be mine.

"And last, but not least, Akiyama Yatsumi." Minami lowered the clipboard and studied each student's face.

I took a breath and stepped from behind Kuniko, smiling sheepishly and waving. "That's me."

Raina rolled her eyes while Niou, Marui and Kirihara's eyes widened in remembrance.

"Oh, you're the Honey-bunny chick!" Kirihara exclaimed. I winced at the moniker, resisting the strong urge to book it the other way. "Oh, man," Kirihara laughed, "I had never seen Vice-Captain Sanada so _angry!_ "

 _Ugggh,_ I thought, cringing. My face grew incredibly hot as Kirihara continued describing Sanada's fury. I took a deep breath and bowed deeply. "I'm so very sorry for my rudeness! It was horrible of me to interrupt your practice, and, for that, I am terribly sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Niou said, shrugging carelessly. "The guy will get over it. Still though," Niou smirked, "quite brave of you to risk Sanada's fury all so you could confess to Marui." Niou glanced over at the red-haired boy, who blew a large green bubble, popping it and chewing it again. Hearing his name, Marui looked over at me and Niou, and I started, averting my gaze to the side. My face had just started cooling from Kirihara's remarks, but now it was rapidly heating up again. Niou jabbed a thumb at me and smirked. "This is an interesting one, Marui. I'd keep an eye on her if I were you!"

 _Ack! What is Niou_ doing?! I wondered, appalled.

"You think so?" Marui asked, tilting his head and studying me.

Raina glowered at me, that all familiar scowl marring her beautiful features.

"A-actually, I—" Before I could explain myself, Minami interrupted me.

"Alright, now that I've done roll call, I'm going to go over the rules," Minami said. “We will be spending a lot of time together on this trip. With that being said, I suggest you all get to know one another.”

 _Yeah, no thanks,_ I thought, stifling a groan.

When Minami finished, he told us to go ahead and get on the bus. As everyone made their way to the bus, my phone rang, and I pulled it out to see it was Yaeko.

"Hey, Yaeko, what's up?" I greeted. I slowed my pace, allowing for students to go ahead of me.

"Hey, Yatsu, have you left for Osaka yet?" Yaeko asked excitedly.

"No, we haven't, but we're about to," I replied.

"You're lucky you're going somewhere fun," Yaeko said, sighing heavily. "On my class trip, we just visited the stupid and boring planetarium. Like, who cares for planets and stars?!"

I giggled at my sister's irate tone. "Don't worry, Yaeko; it'll soon be your turn to travel somewhere fun."

"Yeah," Yaeko muttered. "Anyway, don't forget to bring me back something from both places!"

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"I know how you tend to _'forget'_ so I'm going to call you back to remind you, 'kay? Bye!" Yaeko clicked off before I could respond.

I shook my head and pocketed the phone, walking toward the bus and climbing inside. Because of the large number of students, the school rented nine buses. So, I knew the chances of Asumi, Anna and I being on the same bus was slim, and I was right. I could not spot them anywhere on the bus, which just added to the crappiness of my day.

 _Aw man,_ I groaned internally as I moved through the aisle.

The bus was filled with excited shouts, chatter and movement. As far as I could tell, there were no empty seats. I spotted Raina sitting next to Marui listening intently while Marui spoke. She glanced over at me and smirked, returning her attention to Marui and nodding to whatever the guy was saying. She laughed, covering her mouth and leaning in closer to Marui.

I didn't know if Raina was attempting to make me jealous or prove to me Marui was hers, but, either way, the girl seriously needed to get over herself. I decided I would not let her, Marui nor anyone else ruin this trip for me. I kept my gaze forward, marching past the two, and as I neared the back, I found an empty seat beside Kirihara, who was playing a handheld video game. I plopped beside him, shooting him a smile, but the guy was too involved in his game.

 _I guess we won't be making any small talk then,_ I thought, slumping back and sighing softly.

The bus rumbled forward, and my phone buzzed with a text message. I pulled it out to find a text from Anna.

**Anna: hey so it looks like we're not on the same bus which tanks :(**

**Me: yea I know :(**

**Anna: well? Who’s in your group? Anyone I know?**

**Me: yup. Marui, Niou, Kirihara, and Raina. Can u believe it?!**

**Anna: no way! oh my gosh maybe Asumi is onto something after all….**

**Me: I will hurt you Anna. If you & Asumi dont stop with this Marui nonsense, I'll make next year's Dare Day the worst one ever.**

**Me: you know I can make it happen :)**

**Anna: yea, yea -_- but geez Marui-senpai AND Raina? I dont envy u….**

**Me: shut up -_-**

Anna and I continued texting for the next three hours, which I was grateful for because, otherwise, I would have been so terribly bored. I yawned, glancing at the time to see it was afternoon.

_We'll be stopping for lunch soon._

"Ooh, we're stopping!" Someone announced happily.

I gasped happily to see the bus was, in fact, slowing down as it approached a small wooden building with the large sign 'Koko's Place' displayed prominently across the roof. A wide, open field spread behind the building; perfect for us to eat our lunches.

"Yatta! Finally, it's lunchtime!"

Students were anxious to get out and stretch their legs after such a long period of remaining in one place.

"Oh, we're in Osaka already?" Kirihara asked, looking up from his game.

"Nope. I believe we still have a ways to go. This is just a lunch break," I told him.

"Lunch? Alright!" Kirihara celebrated.

 _Look who's energetic,_ I thought, smiling.

"Okay, listen up!" Minami stood at the front of the bus, earning the students’ attention and silencing conversation. "We will be eating on the field. Also, you must remain with your group, understand?"

"Yes, sensei!"

"Alright, let's go, single file," Minami instructed.

* * *

"It's such a beautiful day to eat outside!" Raina commented, giggling with glee.

I wanted to chuck my bento at the phony chick, but then that'd be a waste of good food. All the groups sat spaced out on the lush open field, conversing and enjoying one another's company while the teachers walked around, supervising the students. Inwardly, I sighed, can't helping but feel lonely. Basically, everyone in my group were strangers, and though this school trip was an ideal opportunity to change that fact, I just could not bring myself to socialize. After all, my group consisted of my newfound rival, the boy I confessed my phony feelings to, the Trickster, and the Devil of Rikkaidai.

 _Am I being punished? I feel like I'm being punished,_ I thought.

"I baked vanilla chip cookies for everyone last night," Raina announced, producing a medium-sized pink and blue container from her bag.

Marui's eyes lit up at the sight of the container. "Really? You baked for everyone?"

"Mm-hm," Raina said, nodding and holding the container out to Marui who happily accepted it.

My right hand twitched, as the urge to fling my now empty bento box at the girl returned.

"Ooh, these don't taste bad!" Kirihara stated, plucking several more cookies from the box.

"Would you like to try Mazaki-chan, Yatsumi?" Raina looked over at us, that same fake syrupy smile on her face.

"I'm fine, thank you," Kuniko replied softly.

"I'm not a fan of vanilla," I answered truthfully.

"More for me!" Marui and Kirihara spoke simultaneously.

"Oi, Marui-senpai, quit hogging the cookies!" Kirihara complained.

"You already had five. You'll ruin your appetite for dinner," Marui said.

"What are you talking about? You ate way more than me!" Kirihara countered.

I couldn't help but giggle quietly as the boys squabbled over the baked goods. Though, it sucked it was Raina's cookies they were squabbling over, it was funny all the same.

"Puri~" Niou murmured, a smirk gracing his handsome features. My eye twitched at the devious glint found in the Trickster's blue eyes, and my heart quickened its pace as I knew immediately the guy was up to something. "Akiyama, did you bring those cookies you gave Marui the other day?"

Now, I wanted to fling my bento box at Niou's smug expression. _You jerk! The heck are you trying to do?!_

Raina's cheerful façade faltered, her brown eyes flashing with hidden anger and the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Oh, yeah! The double chocolate cookies…." Marui nodded in appreciation. "You know, those cookies were pretty tasty. Did you bring them?"

"Uh, yeah, I did," I said, rummaging through my bag for the cookies. _Dang it, I was really planning on saving these for later,_ I lamented, pulling out the small bag of homemade cookies and throwing it to Marui, who eagerly opened the bag, revealing the baked goods.

"Those do look good!" Kirihara complimented, eating one. "And they taste better!"

"Right?" Marui agreed.

"Could I have one?" Kuniko asked.

"Yeah, sure." Marui held the bag out to Kuniko who plucked one cookie and took a small bite.

"It's good," she complimented quietly, nodding to me.

"Really? I'm glad to hear it," I said gratefully.

Raina now looked ready to burst, her arms crossed and smile replaced with her trademark scowl.

"Niou-senpai, you're not eating any?" Kirihara asked.

"No, I'm good; not a fan of sweets," Niou said.

 _Whu—then why did you ask about my cookies?_ I wondered, narrowing my eyes at the guy.

Niou saw my hard stare and smiled slyly. "Puri~"

 _This guy… just as I thought, he's troublesome after all,_ I thought, scoffing and averting my gaze.

"Azuma, you should try, too," Marui offered.

"Okay," Raina said, the cheerful façade returning. She took a huge bite and brightened, her brown eyes twinkling with happiness. "Wow! Yatsumi, these are so good!" Raina gushed.

"R-Really…."

"Yes! Please, I must have the recipe," Raina requested, gazing at me, her face pleading.

"Um, well…." Oh, this girl was good, I had to give her that. "Yeah, I have no problem with that."

"Yatta! Thanks so much," Raina squealed.

 _Ugh, please stop before I vomit,_ I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm heading for the restroom," I announced, rising to my feet.

"Ooh, me too! I'll come with you," Raina said, hopping to her feet. Dread pervaded my heart as I watched Raina pat the grass off her skirt before glancing up at me, that detestable phony smile gracing her attractive features. "Well? Shall we go?"

 _No, we shall not,_ I wanted to say. And I would have said it, too, but my full bladder wouldn't allow me, so I had no choice but to plaster my own phony smile and answer, "Yes, let's go."

* * *

"Those double chocolate cookies were so delicious, Yatsumi. Don't forget about sharing your recipe with me, okay?" Raina said.

 _What is this chick doing?_ I wondered.

We were way out of earshot of our group, so I don't know why Raina hadn't dropped her façade.

"Hey, you two, where are you going?" Minami intercepted us, studying us expectantly.

"We're going to the restroom," Raina answered.

"Alright, then. Be quick. And make sure you don't cause trouble inside," Minami instructed.

"Yes, sensei," we answered simultaneously.

Minami nodded, satisfied, and headed off, returning to supervising the other students.

_Ah, now I get it._

The façade was for the teachers, as well. Great, so this meant as soon as we stepped into the restaurant, Raina's true colors would appear. _If that's the case, I'll have to act first!_

"So, Yatsumi, about that recipe—"

"I'm not giving it to you," I deadpanned.

"What?" Raina's eyes widened in surprise. "But earlier you said—"

"I lied. Just like you're doing now. By the way, you can drop the act now. There's no one around to believe it," I pointed out as we finally entered the restaurant. The place was nearly empty with only an elderly couple occupying one of the tables. I spun around to see Raina's cheery disposition gone, her expression so frigid, I literally shivered. _Yeesh, she's not called the Ice Queen for nothing._ "Alright, Raina, listen. I need you to know I have absolutely no feelings whatsoever for Marui-senpai. I only 'confessed' to him because I was dared to do it," I said.

"A dare, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a dare," I said, nodding emphatically.

"Oh, well, in that case, we have no issues, then," Raina replied.

"Really? Oh, thank God. You see, I didn't want—"

"—is what I say if I were a gullible fool," Raina deadpanned.

"Huh?"

"Do you really think I'm an idiot? If you really were dared to 'confess' to Marui-senpai, you could have easily refused it. Am I wrong?"

"N-No, that's true. But—!"

"You used the dare to hide your true motives," Raina accused.

"My true motives?"

"To hide the fact that you really do like Marui-senpai, of course," Raina answered simply. "After all, why would you give Marui-senpai cookies? Surely, you could have done the dare without them?"

"Yes, but—!"

"Not to mention the fact you brought the _same cookies_ on the trip!" Raina hissed.

"Okay, I know it looks bad, but I can assure you—"

"No, let me assure _you_ that if you don't keep your distance from Marui-senpai, life for you will be… well, to put it mildly, unpleasant. Are you understanding me?" Raina asked, smiling widely. I clenched my fists and teeth in frustration, and Raina's smile widened at my reaction. "Looks like you do. Good. I'll be heading back now; don't take too long." Raina waved, pivoting on her heel and strutting outside.

"That's—I—she's— _urgh!_ " I huffed, earning curious stares from the elderly couple.

I marched towards the bathroom, slamming open the door and startling Anna who had just finished drying her hands.

"Yatsumi?" Anna said, tossing the balled up paper towel in the trash bin.

"Anna, hey," I greeted dully.

"What's wrong? You look terrible," Anna observed.

"One tends to look terrible after being threatened," I replied.

" _Threatened?!_ Who? Why—?" Anna abruptly stopped, her eyes widening in realization. "Was it Raina?"

"Yeah, we just had a nice chat about how she'll ruin my life if I don't keep my distance from Marui-senpai."

Anna groaned, shaking her head. "Well, did you tell her your confession to Marui-senpai—"

"—Was a dare? Yeah, I did, and she thinks I used the dare as cover to hide my true feelings."

"Great. So, the girl’s crazy, is that it?" Anna concluded, rolling her eyes.

"Obviously. Anna, what am I gonna do?" I whined.

"What do you mean? It sounds to me you'll have to keep your distance from Marui-senpai. Unless, you _don't_ want to do that…?"

"Anna, so _help_ me, I'll hurt you! For the last friggin' time: I have _zero_ feelings for Marui-senpai!" I practically shouted.

"Okay, okay! Then, I see no issue in staying away from him."

"Except we're in the same _group!_ "

"Yes, I'd imagine that would make it difficult…." Anna muttered. "Let me text Asumi. I'm sure she can help with this dilemma."

"Yeah, you do that cause I'm still peeved at her," I said, entering one of the stalls.

"Okay, Asumi texted back. She said… um…."

Once I finished, I flushed and opened the door, staring at Anna curiously who studied her phone with a troubled expression.

"What did she say?" I asked, walking up to the sink and pumping a generous amount of soap into my hand.

"She said, 'Treat the guy like crap,'" Anna read.

 _"Hah?!"_ I gaped at Anna.

"Yeah, I know. Oh, she sent more…. Asumi says since staying away from the guy isn't probable at the moment, just treat him badly. Not only will Raina see you really don't care for the guy, but Marui-senpai will also see you don't care for him, too. Am I a genius or what?" Anna and I sighed at the last sentence.

"She's something alright," I muttered, washing my hands. "I don't like the idea of treating Marui-senpai badly, especially since he didn't do anything to me."

"Yeah, I agree, the idea isn't very good," Anna said. "Oh, another text…. Either you do this or face Raina's wrath."

"Oh, please, I'm sure there are better ideas. Anna?" I asked hopefully.

"Right, right, um… uh… er… okay, I got nothing," Anna admitted, shaking her head.

"Urgh! I hate this! I should have just refused the stupid dare after all."

"I'm sure it'll work itself out, Yatsumi," Anna assured me.

"That's easy for you to say! You didn't confess your nonexistent feelings to some boy and have his psycho fan girl threaten your life!"

"She threatened your life?" Anna inquired skeptically.

"Okay, no, she didn't, but she might as well have."

"I think you should just follow Asumi's advice. It doesn't seem like you have much choice," Anna said.

"You think so?" I was uncomfortable with the idea of acting cruelly to Marui, but if it meant Raina would get off my back…. I sighed deeply. "Fine. I guess I'll do it."

* * *

After lunch, students got back on the bus, but I wanted to purchase some snacks from the vending machine for the trip since we still had a long ways before we reached the hotel.

I entered the money into the machine and stepped back, studying the selection _Hmm, what should I get?_ I wondered. _Chips sounds good, but then I'll get thirsty, and I don't have enough money for a drink._ After a few more seconds of deliberation, I finally decided on buying chips after all. _Doritos is C3._ I pressed 'C' and went to click the next button when a flash of red appeared in my peripheral view.

"Yo," Marui greeted, giving a two-fingered wave.

 _Geh!_ I started and pressed four instead of three, and a honey bun dropped with a loud _thud._ Crap.

"Sorry, sorry," Marui apologized.

"No, you're fine," I said, retrieving the snack. My heart was pounding so loudly, I briefly feared Marui could hear it. "Sorry, was I taking too long?" I asked.

"Nope. Sensei had me come get you. The buses will be leaving soon," Marui explained.

"Oh, really? Thanks," I said, keeping my gaze on the ground.

Ugh, I was going to have a heart attack if my heart didn't slow down any time soon.

"Hey, I have a question…." Marui started, sending another shock through my system.

 _Oh, geez, it's about my confession, isn't it? I should just admit to the truth right now,_ I decided.

"Do you still want that honey bun? You know, since you got it by mistake and all," Marui asked, smiling sheepishly.

 _What the—? That's what he wanted to ask?_ I thought. Though, I wasn't going to deny the relief that flooded my body. "No, you can have it. I'm not a fan of these kind of snacks. Too fattening," I remarked, throwing the snack to Marui, who easily caught it.

"Thank you!" Marui happily accepted the snack, grinning.

"Now, I have a question," I stated, despite my inner voice demanding why I haven't run away yet.

"Hmm? What is it?" Marui asked, preoccupied with opening the honey bun.

"Marui-senpai is well-known for eating all kinds of junk food, yet he remains the same weight. I know you're in the tennis club, but no way have you exercised enough to burn all those excess calories you consume on a daily basis," I commented.

Marui broke off a piece of the honey bun, popping it in his mouth and glancing at me. "So? Your question?"

"Oh, um, I guess my question is… where does Marui-senpai put it all?" I inquired, unsure how else to phrase the question.

"Is that all?" Marui raised the back of the honey bun packet, pointing at the calorie count.

"Uwaah?! Four hundred calories?! Just as I thought, the calorie count is so high…."

"Yeah, but you can easily burn it off if you run for an hour; thirty minutes if you swim," Marui said.

"Eh?! All that to burn off one snack?!" I asked, astonished. "No way, that's so much…."

"Hm? You think so?" Marui broke off a medium-sized piece, handing it out to me.

"Um…."

"There's probably only thirty calories, tops, in this one piece, so it should be fine," Marui said.

I giggled, plucking the piece from his hand and eating it, enjoying the sweet flavor filling my mouth.

"Thanks," I said.

 _"If you don't keep your distance from Marui-senpai, life for you will be… well, to put it mildly, unpleasant."_ Raina's cold voice echoed throughout my mind, and inwardly, I flinched, recalling Asumi's advice.

_"Treat the guy like crap."_

Oh, who was I kidding? There was no way I could be cruel to Marui, so it seemed avoiding him was my only option, no matter how impossible it may be.

"Oi, are you okay? You suddenly don't look so well," Marui observed, placing the back of his hand to my forehead.

"I-I-I'm fine!" I squeaked, jumping away, my face flushing a deep red. "S-s-s-sorry!" I bolted away, keeping my head bowed as I rushed toward the buses. _Yup, so it's settled. I'll just avoid Marui-senpai as much as I possibly can. Sure, it'll be hard, but it beats—_ "Ouch!" I cried when I crashed into someone's back.

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're going!" Kirihara snapped, whirling on me. "Oh, it's just Honey-bunny-chan."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that," I said, frowning.

"What's your hurry, anyway?" Kirihara asked.

"I, uh, want to get the window seat this time," I lied.

"Is that all? Che, you nearly killed me because of something as stupid as that?"

"S-Sorry," I apologized.

"It's time for us to leave! Everybody, on the buses!" A teacher announced.

"Sensei, how long until we reach the hotel?" Kirihara asked.

"We have three more hours to go," the teacher replied before walking off to herd students onto the buses.

"Three more hours?!" Kirihara and I exclaimed.

"Tch, there's no way my 3DS will last that long," Kirihara murmured.

"You mean you'd actually have to talk to people?" I feigned shock, gasping for effect.

"It's no big deal. I can always sleep."

"If you do that, you'll be up all night," I warned.

"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm used to it," Kirihara said, shrugging.

"That's no good. It's best to break that bad habit early," I said.

"Who are you, my mom?" Kirihara asked, sighing.

He had a point. What did I care about his sleeping habits?

"What are you two doing? Hurry and get on the bus," Minami said, approaching us.

"Right. Sorry!" We apologized.

Minami directed us to the bus our group was on. The bus was full of students brimming with energy thanks to the lunch break.

"There's an open seat in the back," Kirihara said, pointing.

"Cool. I'll be taking the window seat," I said, walking down the aisle when Kirihara tugged on the back of my shirt.

"Wait! I saw the seat first, so I should sit by the window," Kirihara said.

"No way! You got the window seat last time," I argued.

"So, what? First come, first serve!"

"Fine with me!" Kirihara and I shoved each other's shoulders as we attempted to squeeze down the narrow aisle.

"You're persistent!" Kirihara snapped.

"And you're annoying!" I growled.

"Well, you're—whoa!" Kirihara stumbled and pitched forward, and I whooped in victory as I claimed the spot by the window.

_Well, that was lucky._

"Puri~"

 _Or not,_ I thought, shaking my head as I realized what happened.

"Niou-senpai! What'd you do that for?!" Kirihara demanded.

I leaned into the aisle to see Kirihara on his feet, glaring at the silver-haired third year.

"I didn't do anything," Niou replied, shrugging. "Don't look to blame others for your own mistakes."

"Yeah, that's right! Is that anyway to speak to your senior?!" The girl sitting beside Niou demanded, scowling at Kirihara.

"Ah, s-sorry," Kirihara apologized, startled by the girl's outburst.

"Just hurry and get to your own seat!"

"H-Hai!" Kirihara quickly rushed down the aisle to the laughter of our peers.

"Piyo~" Niou said, smirking knowingly.

I leaned back, scooting toward the window when Kirihara flopped next to me and sighed heavily. "Geez, what a pain…."

"I know, right? Trust me, I feel you," I said, placing a comforting hand on Kirihara's shoulder and nodding. After all, I had my own fair share of dealing with crazy fan girls.

Kirihara shook off my arm and glared at me. "None of that would have happened if you had just given up the window seat to me!"

"Perhaps, but I regret nothing."

"Alright, let's go, you two," Minami said, gesturing for the students to climb aboard the bus.

"Yes, sorry, sensei," Raina apologized, hopping aboard the bus.

Marui followed after her, the usual green bubble nearly obscuring his face.e and Raina scanned for open seats when Marui's gaze landed on me, his eyes lighting up. He grinned while holding up the unfinished honey bun.

"Hey, Honey Bunny, thanks for the honey bun!" Marui said, waving the snack.

I blanched when all eyes shifted to me, including Raina's, whose eyes burned fiercely with such hate I could practically feel the heat emitting from them.

 _Aw man._ I averted my gaze out the window, so incredibly grateful I really did obtain the window seat.

It looked like life for me would soon become unpleasant.


End file.
